Theo Walcott is beaming like any proud father would. On his phone’s screen is his son Finley, 14 months old and seemingly destined for greatness. Walcott switches the video footage to slow-motion so we can fully appreciate it.

‘Honestly you’ll be amazed,’ he says. A soft football is bouncing towards Finley Walcott and, using his arms to steady himself and balance, he connects cleanly, hitting it on the half-volley with remarkable poise and power. It is not that different from Walcott’s opening goal for Arsenal in the FA Cup final last weekend.

It has been a traumatic and difficult 18 months for Walcott, with a knee-ligament injury in January putting him out of football for a year, aside from two brief substitute appearances in November.

Walcott ended the season in good form for Arsenal and wants to carry that into England's game vs Ireland

But that superb Wembley goal means he is finally enjoying some of the glory associated with being a professional footballer with England and Arsenal. Add in his new son and it is understandable he feels enormously positive about the future.

‘Fatherhood has been a big thing,’ he says. ‘The injury came at a great time to be honest with you. That’s a terrible thing to say. But when you go through that experience of becoming a father, it’s great.’

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His response about the injury coming at the right time is understandable. Finley needed a heart operation at eight weeks old, from which he has now fully recovered.

This time last year, Walcott and his wife Melanie were dealing with that trauma, which is why he attended neither Arsenal’s 2014 FA Cup final win nor the post-match celebrations. ‘I couldn’t be at the game, sadly, but I remember Carl Jenkinson FaceTiming me, which was a fantastic touch. He took time out for me.’

Life now is considerably better all round, not least in having a healthy baby boy. ‘Fatherhood has made me think a lot more. Family is so important. It’s something special. I’m speechless every time I see him, he’s unbelievable. I’m going into games thinking a bit differently as well. As in, “I’m going to do it for you”. I’ve never had that before. Obviously I’ve always wanted to do it for the fans and the family, but when there’s part of you there it’s different. And you just don’t want to let your little dude down.’

Walcott waves to the Arsenal crowd after their final home game in May while carrying his son Finley

THEO'S HIGHS AND LOWS...

Theo Walcott has experienced many highs and lows since his £12million move from Southampton to Arsenal, aged just 16, in January 2006.

HIGHS

Despite not having made a single appearance in the Premier League Walcott was a shock call up in Sven-Goran Eriksson’s squad for the 2006 World Cup.

England’s youngest senior player aged 17 years and 75 days when he played in a 3–1 friendly win over Hungary at Old Trafford on May 30, 2006.

Hat-trick in the 4-1 2010 World Cup qualifier victory over Croatia on September 10, 2008.

Scored opening goal in Arsenal’s 4-0 FA Cup final win over Aston Villa on May 30

LOWS

Did not play a single game at the 2006 World Cup and his main role in Germany was to make a video diary of his experience.

Dislocated his shoulder while training with England in November 2008 and was out for five months.

Left in tears when omitted from Fabio Capello’s squad for the 2010 World Cup.

Injured against Switzerland in 2010 and in the build-up to the double-header against San Marino and Montenegro in 2013.

The injury curse struck again forcing him to out of the 2014 World Cup after he ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during Arsenal’s 2-0 FA Cup third-round victory over Tottenham in January 2014.

Walcott has even shown Arsene Wenger the clip of Finley’s half-volley. ‘The manager said, “Who’s his agent?” I said, “It’s not me!” I can’t deal with this little boy here. He’s blessed.’

Walcott’s professional life is also on the up. His injury was bad enough; his comeback started and then stalled in November and when he finally was fit he couldn’t get in the starting XI for Arsenal.

The last few weeks of the season changed the perspective, however. A hat-trick against West Brom in the last game meant he was starting up front for his club in the most important match of the season last weekend and scored that glorious volley to win the FA Cup.

‘I am buzzing. I scored a goal in an FA Cup final and the manager had the faith to play me up front, so there’s no reason not to be positive. I’ve taken a slow start getting back, but when you are out for such a long time it’s always going to take a while. I was quite patient, waiting for my opportunity, and when I got it I managed to take it. The manager then continued to show faith in me by playing me up top.

‘I’ll play anywhere, but he started playing me up front slowly. To be honest, coming off the back of the performance a week before [the hat-trick], I don’t think the manager had much choice really. Sometimes things don’t go to plan, but in that last league game everything went my way. Even if I didn’t start, I was ready to make an impact and make up for lost time from last year. So you can understand it was an unbelievable experience. And I was happy that all my family were there as well, as we all missed out last year.

‘When you have Olivier Giroud, who performed very well over the season, it just shows the trust and the faith the manager had in me and I didn’t want to let him down. And I certainly didn’t do that. The next thing is to take that form and reproduce it for England. Positionally, I know the manager has options — Charlie [Austin] and Wayne [Rooney] — but I can do a job up there. It’s come together quite nicely over the last few games.’

Walcott missed a year for club and country after being injured against rivals Tottenham

Walcott, who scored in the FA Cup final, celebrates the team's triumph with midfielder Aaron Ramsey

The England star is pictured on the Arsenal parade bus with his club and country team-mate Jack Wilshere

In the wake of the FA Cup final, Wenger made a point of challenging Walcott, who has one year left on his contract, to stay at Arsenal for the years ahead. ‘My club future is absolutely fine. I’ve been playing and wanting to play well for the club. Now I’m concentrating on England.

‘When it comes to the contract, that’s something I’ll deal with after. I think it’s important to concentrate on the now and these things in the future will get sorted I’m sure. I’ll just leave my agent to deal with that side.’

It seems odd that last weekend was his first major trophy in the game but perhaps he can more fully appreciate its significance at the age of 26, having been around the block once or twice.

He burst on to the national consciousness as the 17-year-old wild card picked by Sven Goran Eriksson for his 2006 World Cup squad. It was a misjudged act of desperation in Eriksson’s dying days as England manager, a gamble he himself seemed to mistrust, given that Walcott never played. There is a maturity about the player when he reflects on that experience.

Walcott wheels away in celebration after scoring the opening goal of last weekend's FA Cup final at Wembley

The 26-year-old, out of contract at the end of next season, waves to the Arsenal faithful after the final whistle

‘I’ve been around the England camp for a long time, from the drama of when I probably didn’t deserve to go. I know that. We’ve gone over that on numerous occasions!

‘I think a lot of young players might not be able to cope with what I’ve dealt with, from injuries to success to lows. Some people can hide from it all. There have been patches but now I just want to get some consistent level of ability.

‘It’s a young squad. I actually feel very old in this squad which shows how long I’ve been here for. Wayne [Rooney] feels very old as well — he told me the other day. It’s great that the manager has shown faith in me, always bringing me back into his squads. I want to repay not just him but the England fans as well, because they’ve been absolutely fantastic with me.’

The downs are well recorded. He was surprisingly dropped from Fabio Capello’s 2010 World Cup squad, hearing the news via mobile phone while playing golf as he prepared for South Africa. Last January’s injury cost him the World Cup in Brazil.

Walcott will be keen to stay injury-free and cement a regular starting place for both Arsenal and England

‘When you have injuries it’s difficult to come back straight away,’ he said. ‘You’re always reluctant to go into tackles or just put a foot in there. You worry what’s going to happen next. That’s out of my head now but it probably was there at the start. But you can understand if you’re out for a long time and someone comes in and you fall on your knee you think, “Oh it’s fine now”. This is the sort of age you push on and now it’s about taking my Arsenal form into England which is the next big step for me.

‘There have been patches but it hasn’t been at a consistent level. I know that myself. I don’t need any of you guys to tell me that. It’s a gradual process. But these years now, if I want to be one of the greater players, I need to perform for England and Arsenal on a consistent basis.’

And he is clear about what that means: decisive interventions in big games, such as last week. ‘Look at Cristiano Ronaldo, sometimes he might be completely quiet in a game but there is just one thing that people remember. Big players in big games need to turn it on. And in a lot of the big games this season, when I’ve been given the opportunity, I’ve managed to prove it.

‘But it’s just doing that bit more. When you’re needed in these big games, you need to stand up for yourself. It is a team game but if that individual can do one extra bit, it’s going to make you into the best player you can be.’ It is an ambitious goal but on last weekend’s evidence, one he seems intent on fulfilling.

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THEO WALCOTT: I'm glad I got injured in FA Cup match against Spurs... now I am ready to be the main man for Arsenal and England